To Be Strong
by Moon Witch '96
Summary: Strength was her weakness, and to be strong was never easy for her. But it was what she was inside anyway, even if her body didn't exactly follow. Because they were always hovering with her, their faces in the woods and their sighs in the brooks, she was strong. A story of a stronger and different Sakura Hanuro growing up, her past life lingering with her . AU. Non-massacre.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_It was here in her very being, integrated into her bones and flesh in a way that it could never leave her. Her gift, her curse, her salvation. Her damnation. Because of it she could see their faces in the trees, she could hear their sighs in the brooks. She could feel them in the very marrow of her delicate human bones. They were her secrets and she was their child in almost every sense of the word. Nothing could break that... It was as true as her name was Sakura Hanuro._


	2. Feeble Steps Arc

_**Feeble Steps**_


	3. A Wolf And A Sakura Tree

**A Wolf And A Sakura Tree**

They never failed to make her cry. Even as she ran, feet and legs a blur as she jumped clumsily from tree to tree, tears gathered in her startlingly bright eyes, and fell down her delicately pale cheeks, bruised now from her classmates' overzealous feelings of disprovable from the previous day. She hated it. She hated the taste of salt on her split lips, her bruised jaw and she hated the burn in her eyes, she hated the feeling of tightness in her chest and she hated the mucus that she had to swipe away every few seconds to make sure it didn't fall onto her injured lips or worse, into her mouth.

She hated to cry more than she hated the girls that made her do so, and she almost hated it as much as the feeling of helplessness she had every time that fate fell bell rang at the end of the day, and her fellow kunoichi in training gathered themselves, shooting her, someone more delicate and weak because of her civilian parentage with the look that cats saved for a mouse. A look of delight and deadly playfulness that meant a lot of hurt would be coming her way.

"Where are Hanuro?" cried out multiple voices, more likely older today, and very cruel.

In her ripped clothing, she shivered slightly with the breezes whipping through the trees. Against the trunk of the tall tree, even only a few feet away, one of her older bullies didn't notice her. This, even through her tears and bruises made some pride flood her. She was good at running, and she was good at hiding. Unfortunately, she was never good at fighting, nor defending. She was a smart girl, smarter than most gave her credit for, and she knew her weaknesses well and acknowledged it like most couldn't. It all laid in the physical aspect of her nature, with weak arms that had not been trained by birth.

She was a pacifist by nature as well, tending to come up with clever ways instead of the use violence to solve her problems and even at three and three quarters she knew that cruelty of what she had chosen as a career would not settle well with her. But she had chosen this path for a reason, she wanted to protect those two most precious to her... So far, she wasn't doing a very good job, and only had gotten herself hurt in the process. But she was nothing but stubborn, and the girl would continue this path until the end.

In her inner musings, and in the process of catching her breathe, the girl made a single mistake and let her guard down.

She felt her impractical hair, (long because of her mother's insistence) swirl slightly in the near winter breeze, lazily, pink strands shining sharply in the sun, almost flashing white. She stilled when it flashed, knowing it stupid to run just yet and prepared herself for what she knew what was to come. Her senpai was about six years older than her, nine or so, graceful in her landing, one ninja sandal in front of the other in a classic relaxed stance. She was pretty in the traditional way to her, with onyx black eyes, and dark hair like ink reaching her shoulders, contrasting against her pale skin(almost as pale as her own). A single bright red earring dangled from her left ear, in the shape of a bird, the only adornment that was not practical on her, and it flashed in the sunlight, just like her own hair did. Several kunai were in her elegant and causal grip, and a smile was on her thin lips. Uchiha screamed her mind, and by the look of it, not a particularly kind one. A regular in her bullies.

"Hello." she said, coldly, a false sense of cheerfulness in the older girl's tone.

Sakura Hanuro said nothing, and she watched the girl with her unusually large and bright green eyes that never failed to unsettle the older girl, even now. They were too large for the girl's young face, noted the older one, slanted in a pretty and prominent tilt. It went along with the balance of the girl's face, the large brow framed delicately by short and long pink strands, and the sharp almost cutting cheekbones, that she knew would later mold into something much more prettier than it should be allowed to be. Her chin was round, darkening at the moment from previous bouts, and delicate. The ridiculous and impossible shade of pale pink hair that reached her waist in a straight shiny wave, almost like silk and the girl with the black hair felt her mouth twinged in distaste. With her smaller than average body, which was weak on top of it, the three year old girl was a disgrace to ninja, especially to kunochi. And if anything, the girl felt that the girl in front of her shouldn't even be near ninja at all.

With a flash of boiling anger, the girl knew that the most above her rank as ninja in training did not agree with her. The teachers praised her mental skills almost religiously, and even in the more harsher ones, the brat in front of her had gained a special place in their hearts. Hell, even her mother of all people had taken a liking to her, and had described the little girl in front of her once with a fond air, a smile appearing on her usually harsh and solemn lips. Faerie. Sakura Hanuro, the little faerie girl that everyone loved.

The older girl, Yuki Uchiha, smiled with narrowed eyes. So be it. She wondered, if they saw the sniveling girl in front of her now would the love her so much. It made her smile even wider as she threw one of her kunai expertly. It snagged on one of the torn sleeves of the Sakura's shirt, and the girl did not move an inch as she threw more kunai. Yuki did not call to the other girls just yet. No, she was enjoying the terrified look on the girl's pale face to much.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan? Talk to me!" Said the older girl gleefully, taking a bouncing step forward.

Sakura herself said nothing, and tried to ignore the twinge of anger and sadness at the girl's use of her first name so causally, and so insultingly endearing. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute, and her hand, small and non-noticeable to the gloating Uchiha in front of her reached for one of the many needles she carried in her now torn sleeve. Most did not know that she carried the small bastardized version of senbon with her, and she used that to her advantage now. The girl, was too busy blabbing something or another about why she thought Sakura deserved to be beaten to a pulp.

Sakura really didn't need to hear it, she had heard it a million and one times over. She looked strange, not even like her father and therefore was a freak. No one except herself and her father, knew who her mother was, therefore she was a freak. She was smart and therefore a freak. She came from a civilian line and therefore a freak. The sensei and or parents liked her, hence she was a freak. She pushed back the tears at the thought, and focused her big mind on the task at hand.

One million and two rolled by, and with a careful and painful movement, Sakura made her escape. She ripped out of the kunai's strong hold, and she threw her senbon to the girl's legs, making them go numb temporally as the book said they would, and smiled slightly as the girl let out a howl of outrage. She said some not so kind things at her back, and called for the other girl's that were currently in the forested training ground number seven. Sakura forced herself to stop a cry of dismay as she felt several people behind her. It was a weak sense that she could never explain, and she had it as long as she could remember, which, was a very long time. Faint but there, the spark of something that felt similar but not chakra burned like a beacon of light in her mind-scape, and she felt clearly, about seven girls behind her. All were older with more developed skills, and all had some hatred towards her for one reason or another.

They jumped expertly in front of her, some stumbling and others' with grace. They all smiled, they all looked on at her with glee as she her back her back against a tree truck. Some were pretty, some were ugly and some neither. All held their hands in fists.

"Sakura-chan!" said the gleeful voice of the Uchiha, the obvious leader as she landed with the other girls.

Sakura grimaced. The girls kept their cat like smiles.

"Why did you leave? We were just having so much fun!" said the girl, clapping her hands.

She took a step forward, and Sakura knew her senbon like needles would be worthless now that the girl knew about them. She had no where to go, and she felt like a trapped animal.

"Leave me alone Uchiha-senpai." she said it softly, her usually soft voice harsher with tears.

Said senpai only smiled wider.

"But Sakura-chan, we're just going to start a game!" she said with a never ending smile.

It was then that she flashed forward, foot smoothly cracking upwards and painfully, Sakura's head slammed against a tree branch above her. Before she could even hit the ground, with the sounds of giggles and jaunts ringing through her ears, more kicks and even some kicks came. She was a weak defender and fighter, and she was well over five year younger than her opponents. Their kicks were strong, their reaches long, and there was eight of them. It wasn't a battle, it was a beating, and with as much dignity as she could, Sakura lashed out anyway. She kicked, she bit, and she punched. She pulled hair and she screamed as high as she could in the hopes of some older and training ninja stumbled across them, because unlike yesterday, or even the day before that, the girls didn't seem content with simply knocking her around a few times today. The force was much more vicious and she knew that the girls weren't stopping anytime soon. And through it all, Sakura cried. And the girls laughed, and the girls said things that made her cry harder. Because no matter how much she did ignore it, or heard it, all of them ate at her.

"Who even has a forehead like that?!"

"Her dad don't even look like her!"

"Her mom is a whore and that's why no one knows her name!"

"How smart is she now?!"

"Ha, look, she's crying!"

"What a disgrace as kunochi!"

And it all stopped in a second when they heard the growl of some animal. It was loud and as fierce as everything that showed up in their nightmares, and the girls stopped. Sakura stiffed greatly when she heard the girls' worried whispers. Through slightly swollen left eye, she saw the hazy shapes of the eight girl's wary and fearful faces.

"Yuki, let's get the hell out of here, there's something there..." whispered a red head, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I mean, did you hear that?" asked a black eyed girl.

Yuki, the Uchiha looked troubled, her mouth in a pinched frown as she looked around.

"Fuck, is that a _**wolf**_!?"whispered another girl, pulling tightly on Sakura's hair, jerking away and letting go of her finally.

Yuki's eyes glanced towards the side, and then she looked towards the other girls with serious eyes. Before she looked down at Sakura. She smiled again, wide with narrowed onyx eyes.

"Let's get the hell out of here then." she dropped her hold on Sakura's head with an inconsiderate thud, and started to move away.

The girls stopped when they saw Yuki had left Sakura.

"Hey, wait, Yuki, what about Hanuro?" asked a girl, looking uncertainly at the girl, holding her arm awkwardly.

Sakura felt her heartbeat harshly against her damaged ribs, and she noticed that all the girls were looking at her. Really looking at her. Their eyes looked wide and afraid, surveying the damage with more than a little guilt. Most of them seemed to notice how small the three year old really was with the threat of the animal out there. They all seemed uncomfortable at the turn of events, and yet, most loosened their hold on whatever part of her body they held, and disappeared from her low range of sight. Six girls trailed after Yuki, save the girl was the one with the grip on her arm. Sakura looked at the girl's plain face seriously, from the bright brown eyes to the limp blond hair that was cut closely to her head.

"What about her? Leave her there. No evidence and whatnot that we hurt her if they don't find her." she said it simply and as if it was the most normal thing in the world she could do.

The blonde girl hesitated. Just for a second, enough for Sakura to feel a surge of affection for the girl.

"Sada leave the brat, now!"snarled out the voice of Yuki Uchiha distantly.

And then she dropped her arm as if it had burned her. Sada looked at her, eyes looking as if she was about to cry. She bit her lip, blood leaking through.

"I'm so sorry."she said it softly, before she disappeared from her sight.

Sakura felt something akin to shock settle into her. The sound of footfalls disappeared, and in her mind-scape she felt the the eight lights disappear, one by one from her 10 meter range. Sada's lingered the longest, but even she left when Yuki called for her. She left, for whatever reason, the girl, which Sakura now remembered always hit the softest, and never really called her anything, left anyway. She left her. And because of that, she was going to die. She was only three, and not matter how old she was mentally, the injustice of it all screamed at her. She was going to die because she was so weak. And for some reason, that made her tears stop. Her cheeks dried, and Sakura felt her body start to tremble. The growl sounded out again, and Sakura felt the beacon of a large, and very old animal come closer.

She had never felt animals before, and it was so odd that she felt one now. Then as if to defy her norms, Sakura suddenly felt an explosion of beacons bloom to life around her. Plants were slightly dull, trees were brighter, and animals were even brighter, or at least, depending on their size or strength. And the animal approaching her now was very bright. She felt her breath hitch painfully faster against her bruised and or broken ribs, and she felt her body tremble harder. Sweat, already covering her, grew fiercer, and Sakura found that a very sticky and yucky way to die in a rare and childish thought.

In her limited range of vision, she saw only his eyes first. She couldn't say why she though he was a he, he could have been a she for all she could see of the wolf, but she knew as she looked into his bright, blazing green eyes, that he was male. It was then that she noticed with a jolt that they were the exact impossible shade that was looking down at her with such a surprised look was the same as her own. They were set in an elegant, velvet white fur, with serious tilt to the wolf's brow, and a firm set... Of something familiar in its maw.

"_Oh... What have they done to you?_" he said softly.

Talking animals in itself was not such a strange occurrence to Sakura, summons, she knew from her readings, talked. So did demons and some kami took animal forms, and therefore talked that way. But, somehow, Sakura knew that he was neither.

"_I... I'll take you somewhere safe... I'll take you somewhere where you are welcome, and you can heal..._"he said, licking her face softly, affectionately.

Maybe she wouldn't die after all.

It was with that thought that the wolf delicately shifted her on his back somehow, his warm fur against her own back. The canopy of the blurring trees they sped past, she noticed looked beautiful, even with her near blindness. The wolf never even gave a hint of dropping her, and the movements of his swift travel were soft, not as jarring as it should have been. Slowly, she felt her already swollen eyes flutter open and close at odd rates, and the warmth of the wolf and his rhythmic breathing soothed her. Her mind-scape seemed to come alive with a flurry of lights, things jogging along side the wolf, or at least trying to be close to the wolf lingered, and she heard some whisper in worry.

"_Get out of the way, I'm taking her to the White Sage!_"said the wolf.

They were neither animal nor plant, yet both, and Sakura wondered if they were only part of her damaged mind as they left her range, and she was actually being eaten by whatever animal had scared off her bullies and would be killers. If so, the warm, lethargic feeling wasn't such a bad way to go. She only hoped her father wouldn't be sad, and that her mother would return from her job in the capital to come to her funeral, and that she wouldn't be so sad either.

In her near unconscious state, she hardly noticed the moment where the wolf nudge aside some moss and vines, and went into the hollow of a tree, which turned out to be an entrance into an underground tunnel. Luminous fungi, which registered weakly in her mind-scape lined the walls of the tunnel in a soft almost, but not quite eerie blue glow. For a few moments, it was nothing but the tunnel, then suddenly, the swift wolf brought her to a place of light. So bright and painful to her abused eyes, Sakura closed them swiftly and tightly. She felt something bright and blazing enter her mind-scape, along with the weak beacons of the surrounding flora...

"_SHIRO, SHIRO, COME QUICK_!"screamed out the wolf, leaping through what felt like a meadow of wild flowers and grass.

"_What is it you silly wolf- Oh!" _said a soft, lulling voice somehow more and impossibly beautiful than Sakura's mother's.

Her mother's voice was gorgeous as an angel's and that was why she was a singer, thought Sakura randomly and faintly. But the one called Shiro had a much more beautiful voice by some miracle. She was shifted, with a muffle whimper onto the ground. It was somehow very soft, as if she was in a bed of flowers or petals, and Sakura felt her slightly harsh breathing ease after the initial move, as well as the suddenly dimmer light made her relax her eye lids. A hand, rough as tree bark touched her swollen cheek softly with the force of a butterfly. It was a startlingly familiar touch that Sakura felt as though she had felt a long time ago...

"_What happened Sigurd!?_" said the beautiful voice again, worry evident in her tone.

She felt the rough hand multiply to, and the two twins examined the length of her body with expert and soothing touches of a very good doctor.

"_Humans_." snarled out the wolf, Sigurd.

The hands were suddenly surging with what felt like chakra, somehow not human in any sense but close. In her mind-scape, Sakura felt the being called Shiro spark slightly brighter than her already blazing beacon. They touched the more difficult and painful of her wounds, and she tensed, waiting for the pain, but felt nothing but an swift feeling of relief fill her as the worst of the pain slowly started to fade. It was then she noticed with squinting eyes that she was underneath the canopy of a tree, a tree that was her namesake and oddly enough fully in bloom despite the winter season. The blooms swirled in the wind she noticed, and they were white as the rare snow that fell during this season...

"_They did this to such a young child? One of their own?_" tsked whom Sakura thought was Shiro, scandalized.

"_Cubs did this to a younger one, can you believe it?" _said the wolf gravely.

For a second, the hands stilled in the healing process, and at her sharp inhale of sudden pain, it continued.

"_No!"_

"_Yes, older ones, but only by six or five summers."_

There was a pause on her healer's part, and her voice was so soft that it was a whisper;

"_But... She's so small."_

Sigurd gave out a small animalistic huff.

"_Seems that was part of the problem."_

"_Poor child."_ cooed Shiro.

"_You're telling me."_said the Sigurd sadly, regret in his voice.

"_You... You should have brought her here faster!"_snarled out Shiro suddenly, making Sakura tense.

She heard a growl emit from the wolf that had brought her here.

"_Don't give me that nymph, I'm the fastest in all of the Spirit woods!"_he snapped harshly.

It seemed Shiro was not one to rein in her temper;

"_Apparently that boast is an empty one!"_

Sigurd had a short fuse as well, thought Sakura amused as she heard his next words, both with confusion and curiosity;

"_As soon as you finish with the cub I'll mark my territory on you stupid tree!"_

"_Shush. I'm trying to heal her you stupid dog."_said Shiro sharply, and with an air of superiority.

"_The White Sage my ass. Your nothing but a left over of the Lady's court!"_

The words brought a heavy silence in the meadow. Even through her gentle healing, Sakura felt a sort of red hot stab of pain within her at the words, and she cried out. Shiro quickly shushed her softly, her hands fluttering over her body. She spoke softly, hurt evident in her tone, yet pride and defiance strong;

"_If I recall, you are as well. Don't bring the Lady into this Guardian."_

Sigurd said not a word, and silence fell over the meadow for a long time. It seemed to be hours away when he finally spoke;

"_... Shiro, forgive me it's just the girl..." _said Sigurd, voice abash and full of regret.

"_I know you silly wolf, now hush. I would have said the same if I was in your position... Especially with how the girl is hurt. She lingers on His' door."_she said it softly, almost inaudibly.

Sakura heard someone gasp.

"_Will she cross the threshold?"_ asked Sigurd, deep voice sorrowful.

"_No, the girl is stronger than she looks. And her chakra is stronger and more plentiful than you think. However harsh the young children were, this girl will live."_

Shiro said it with happiness and relief, affection oddly filling her tone. Nothing was said for a long time, and Sakura through her hazy eyesight saw the sun fall lower in the sky. She felt her eyes fluttering slightly, and though it seemed that she was falling asleep, she forced herself to stay awake a little longer.

"_Sadly she will never know how she lived through it...She can't even hear or see us without much effort on our own part..." _said Sigurd, and she felt Shiro's hand lift away.

She felt a slight mourning at its lost, but made not a sound nor move to indicate it.

"_Shush, we need not her thanks, seeing this young child walk away whole is all we need."_said Shiro, tutting at his tone.

"_Aren't I suppose to be the wise one?"_said Sigurd gruffly.

"_You are wise, but you are also driven by emotion, and your pride. You are also young wolf." _said Shiro smartly, teasing evident in her lovely voice.

She heard a deep, sharp bark of laughter. It was joined by a soft, musical sound that Sakura assumed to be giggles. It was a beautiful thing to hear and felt as familiar as a lullaby to her. Sadly, after a few moments it died down.

"_I wish I knew her name, at the least..."_said Sigurd, tone full of distaste.

"_I do as well."_said Shiro, sadly.

Sakura herself felt a that bark like hand touch her forehead, moving aside her hair in a tender movement. She smiled at the motion, and wished she had the strength to open her eyes.

"My... name is... Sakura... Hanuro." said Sakura, noting that the hands stilled and stiffed over her body.

The two beings said nothing, and she smiled again, this time weakly.

"Did you... really think I...couldn't hear you? How silly... Of you both..." she whispered, her eyes still closed.

It was then that Sakura faded into true unconsciousness. And Shiro and Sigurd looked at each other with surprise evident in their strange and bright eyes. How had a child seen or heard that which no human could?

* * *

**AN: I do not own Naruto, that awesome privileged goes to the mangakai and its respected publishers and animation companies.**

**Before anyone asks, somethings are meant to be vague, a.k.a., Sakura's mother and various things mentioned by the Sigurd and Shiro. Even they themselves are meant to be vague, so I beg and plead for your patience. Also, regarding Sakura's age, I know most three year olds don't act like that, nor do they have much dexterity, nor speak the way she does, but it all for the sake of the story. Plus, Sakura was always meant to be really smart in cannon, I mean, at twelve she did an exam that was virtually impossible for most ninja twice her age. I figure as a young child in my own story she would exhibit that much earlier on, and not shy away from it because it's one of the things that actually bring her praise. **

**Forgive me if I make any mistakes with various cannon things that will happen later on, because I never actually made much headway into reading or watching Naruto, and have a fascination with it with my meager knowledge. And I love its fan-fiction, 'nough said. By the way, this is in the non-massacre universe, so Itachi and other various Uchihas will make themselves known. Including Yuki, someone of my own creation... ANYWAY, enough of me blabbering, I hope you liked the story and continue to read it.(Thank you for doing so.)**** And please review!**


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